I help public sector leaders and their teams, reduce sickness, retain talent, reignite purpose and improve performance - saving £££££ on lost productivity, performance, experience and staff churn.
Explore a suite of coaching and training programmes designed to restore wellbeing, drive performance and build cultures people want to stay in.
I work with individuals, teams and organisations coaching compassionate cultures, where people thrive and performance follows.
Coaching Courses For:
Individuals who are:
* Experiencing burnout, overwhelmed, or have lost direction and love for their job. * Returning to work after illness, leave, or bereavement * Seeking clarity, confidence and renewed purpose in their role * Committed to personal growth, wellbeing and sustainable leadership
Teams that want to:
* Work more effectively together through strengths-based development * Build psychological safety, trust, and open communication * Navigate change, loss, or restructuring with compassion and resilience * Align around shared values and collective goals
Organisations that want to:
* Reduce absenteeism and presenteeism * Improve retention and morale across departments * Create cultures that prioritise people without sacrificing performance * Enhance leadership capability, innovation, and emotional intelligence * Align strategy with values to achieve long-term, sustainable success.
Courses for Staff Wellbeing
From Burnout to Balance
An interactive, evidence-based programme to reduce burnout risk through improved identification and intervention, increasing retention across leadership teams.
Learn MoreThe First Week Back
Designed to support staff returning from long term sick leave, maternity leave or career breaks; this self-paced course helps professionals rebuild confidence and pace themselves for return and sustainable success.
Learn MoreGrief Coaching
These grief coaching courses provide compassionate, expert support for employees navigating bereavement or significant loss. this service helps individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to rebuild confidence and purpose at work — enhancing their wellbeing, supporting return to work, staff retention and expediting their recovery from grief or significant loss.
Learn MoreThe 4Ps Level Up Programme
A premium 8-week 121 coaching experience for senior leaders struggling at work who may feel overwhelmed, stuck, or at risk of burnout.
Learn MoreCourses for Cultural Development
Curious Leadership - Developing a Learning Environment for Improved Performance
This full-day, in-person course is designed for leaders and managers who want to create psychologically safe, high-performing teams where curiosity, creativity and continuous learning and innovation thrive.
Learn MoreStrengths Based Leadership
This full-day, in-person course is designed for leaders and managers who want to build collegial teams and unlock their full potential by understanding individual strengths, embracing diversity, and cultivating psychologically safe, learning oriented cultures.
Learn MoreIkigai in the Workplace
This immersive training course introduces leaders and teams to the concept of Ikigai— a Japanese framework for meaning and purpose — and shows how it can be practically applied in the workplace to build stronger alignment, improve performance, and foster a values-driven organisational culture.
Learn MoreThe Ultimate Comprehensive Cultural Audit and Transformation Consultancy Programme
This high-level, premium consultancy programme is designed for organisations seeking to deeply understand, align and transform their organisational culture to enhance engagement, performance, purpose and outcomes across all levels. Over a 6-month engagement, VR Coaching will assess, interpret, and co-design cultural change with your Board, directorates, teams and customers, uniquely combining globally recognised frameworks and theory-driven insights to reveal the true complexities of your organisational, directorate and team cultures.
Learn More- Public-sector absence is at 2.9% (vs. 1.8% in private sector in 2024) — consistently higher than private sector since 2019
- Civil-Service days lost jumped to an average of 8.1 days in 2023–24, the highest in 10 years, with nearly half of long-term absence due to mental illness
- Long-term absence rose post-pandemic: 3.51 days for civil servants in 2022–23 (vs. 2.86 days in 2020–21), among a record 2.8 million people on long-term sick leave across the UK
- Almost 12% of civil servants changed role or left by March 2023 — highest churn since 2010 — with 9% leaving altogether, citing pay, low morale, and process inefficiencies
- 73% of NHS workers experience burnout or emotional exhaustion at work at least some of the time.
- One in eight NHS staff intend to leave in the next year, with many airing fears about burnout and worker shortages.
- On average senior public sector managers work between 40 and 60 hours per week (despite being contracted to 37) with serious consequences.
- Burn-out is particularly prevalent in high-stress professions like healthcare, education and social services.
If this continues we won't have any professionals left to deliver our vital public services!
Why this matters
Escalating Costs
Sickness absence, unnecessary redundancies, burnout and early exits or retirement drive recruitment spend, agency cover and degrade institutional knowledge.
Service Vulnerability
High absence and staff churn undermine continuity in vital public services. Without appropriately trained, qualified and experienced people our public services simply can't operate.
Workforce Sustainability
Public services are under immense pressure. Rising long-term sickness, low return-to-work rates, and a lack of bursaries or support for those in training are fuelling a critical workforce crisis. Staff shortages are pushing remaining teams to breaking point — driving burnout, early exits, and a shift toward agency work. In some professions, the pipeline is drying up altogether. We urgently need to protect the people we have — and invest in training the next generation by creating compassionate and loyal cultures that people want to stay in.
What makes my approach different is the integration of broad public sector experience with business mastery, psychotherapeutic insight, and coaching skills. I blend strategic thinking and business insights with deep empathy to create psychologically safe, high-impact spaces where individuals, teams and organisations can reflect, reset and grow.
Whether I’m supporting a leader facing burnout, guiding a team through cultural change, or helping an organisation realign with its purpose, my goal is always the same: to create congruence between people and the work they do — so they can thrive, not just survive.
My credentials include:
- Doctor of Business Administration (in progress)
- Master of Business Administration
- PG Diploma in Public Sector Management
- Agile Project Management Practitioner
- Accredited Life Coach
- Certified Grief & Ikigai Coach
- Core Renewal Therapist (inc. CBT, NLP, Hypnotherapy)
- University Teacher
- Marketing & Communications Specialist
- 20+ years of CPD in business and management
- Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute
- PTSD, Burnout and Redundancy Survivor
"A cracking piece of work, demonstrating real personal learning, sharing insights and useful tips for others experiencing similar" David, Kent.
Book your slot now!
This call is for Public Sector leaders, HR and OD managers to discuss their needs and whether my coaching offer can meet them. I will meet with you personally to discuss your ambitions and if I believe I can help you I will walk you through the next steps.Read More
- Category: Corporate Coaching Discussion
- Service Length: 30 Minutes
- Location:Online Link
- Price:Free
Testimonials
Lisa DymondModern Matron & Approved MH Professional
During the time I have known and worked with Vicky, she has brought strong, kind and compassionate support. She brings strategic focus when it is greatly needed and has the ability to translate this into practical plans and goal setting. I have learned so much from Vicky during the time we have worked together including how to be a more effective leader and manager whilst looking after and protecting my needs and those of my family. Vicky is an expert executive coach who will work with you to define and achieve your personal goals whist improving and preserving your career in the service of others.
Lucien EdwardsSenior Project Manager
Vicky supported me through a very tough time, I was working extremely long hours, travelling the country for my work on top, not sleeping and permanently exhausted. I was not fully productive at work and my performance started to slip despite putting in more than enough hours! I had no time for my relationships and when I did I was too tired and preoccupied to enjoy them. I gained weight and my health and fitness fell away to a routine of driving, working, driving, drinking, bath and bed - only to sleep 4-5 hours before starting all over again. Vicky helped me prioritise and be kind to myself, reversing the spiral I had found myself in, to one that built my life rather than eroded it. With my balance restored I was able to spend quality time with my loved ones, get out on my bike once again and had time to plan my meals and eat healthily. My sleep then improved (surprise - turns out what they say is true!) and I felt on top of my game at work. I am now enjoying a happy and balanced life with an employer that appreciates me and won't take advantage (partly because I know my worth and won't let it happen again). Thank you Vicky for helping me turn my life around!
Articles
Use this questionnaire to find your Ikigai
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A burnout survival guide and personal account for public sector altruists.
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How to get the most from your coaching course and ensure that the learning and development continues beyond your sessions.
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An article that asks you to contemplate the paradoxical human desire to belong whilst also wanting to be different.
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Read about the importance of identifying and developing your strengths to achieve a fulfilling and successful career. Includes Vicky's personal recommendations for further research and tools.
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Find out why it's important to develop your own personal brand from a better understanding of yourself and your strengths. This article also maps out the steps you can take to develop and maintain your personal brand as you progress through your career(s).
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Read about Burn-out - how to recognise it and what to do to beat it!
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Money is a tool and if it is in short supply it can lead to acute depression and stress. This article considers the key to financial freedom being multiple sources of income. It provides some ideas for creating new sources to find financial freedom.
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A personal account of an up close and brutal experience of watching my best friend die in hospice care. Warning: some may find this upsetting.
Read MoreBlog
Search for the positive choice, it's the last of human freedoms.
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A burnout survival guide for public sector altruists
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This blog considers why having a Life Coach is a sound investment.
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Uncovering the potential drawbacks and benefits of adopting the devil's advocate approach in discussions.
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Find out how a life coach can support you as a public sector professional to find and maintain a healthy and happy life balance.
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Are you living a balanced life? Assess for yourself here.
Read MoreContact
- Norwich, England, United Kingdom
- I offer world-wide online coaching services to English speakers.
- +44-7941 391601
- info@vickyrusslifecoach.com
- Tuesday to Thursday 11:00 - 19:00 Friday & Saturday 10:00 - 13:00
Have a question? Contact me here.